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The Green Bay Packers are universally known as one of the most historic franchises in the NFL. There is now pushback on that sentiment, starting with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.
During a recent segment of Smith's ESPN show First Take, he took umbrage at the fact that guest host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo placed Green Bay as number two on his list of most storied franchises.
Here's what Smith had to say in response to Green Bay's high spot on the list:
"What the hell is that? I don't want to hear anything about the Packers when people just started playing football. I know they're original and I respect it, but I'm talking about all-time dynasties. You won a Super Bowl with Brett Favre. You lost the second one to John Elway and Terrell Davis and those boys. Then you won one with Aaron Rodgers. Listen, this was in the 60s. You got two Super Bowl titles in the last 60 years. Stop it."
Smith blasted Russo for placing Green Bay at the number two spot on the list. Many may wonder why Stephen A. has that scathing take on the Packers.
The Super Bowl Trophy is called the Lombardi Trophy, named after the legendary Packers' head coach Vince Lombardi (1959-1967). Green Bay are also the only NFL franchise owned by the community and thousands of fans (stockholders).
Will the Green Bay Packers win the NFC North division without Davante Adams next season?
The Green Bay Packers have won the NFC North division in eight of the last 11 seasons. But this year, things will be a bit different as former All-Pro receiver Davante Adams was traded away to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Adams has been a major part of the Packers offense since being drafted by the team in 2014. He is widely considered the best receiver in football, and his loss will play a major part in whether or not the team can again win the NFC North.
Green Bay drafted receiver Christian Watson out of North Dakota State University in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Watson stands at 6'4" and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, allowing him to stretch the defense and make jump ball catches over smaller defenders.
As with most young NFL players, he will need some time to develop and grow with Rodgers in the offense.
The team also lost former linebacker Za'Darius Smith, who, ironically, is now with the Minnesota Vikings, who many consider the Packers' primary competition within the division. Smith had 13.5 sacks and 12.5 sacks in 2019 and 2020, respectively. He was also named to two Pro Bowls (2019, 2020) and one All-Pro team (2020) during his tenure with Green Bay.
If Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay are once again to reign supreme as winners of the NFC North division, they will depend on their star quarterback to build a rapport with Watson to take immense pressure off the offense.
